Telford business hit as pipe bursts twice in a week
A water pipe that burst four days ago – and was fixed the following day – has burst again, leaving a local businessman “tired and fed up”.
The Severn Trent pipe has caused flooding on Majestic Way, in Aqueduct, Telford, three times already this year.
Repairs were carried out on Sunday, but Kuldip Johal, the owner of Majestic Stores, was faced with fresh flooding when he arrived for work yesterday morning.
“It’s just not good enough,” he said.
“I’ve never complained to Severn Trent, or to the council, about clearing the drains in the 10 years I’ve been here, but I’m just fed up now. I really am tired of it.”
The pipe initially burst on Saturday, leaving the road closed over the weekend, with further disruptions to the road on Monday.
Mr Johal said: “Even after the water had cleared it took two big wagons to repair the road on Monday which meant customers had nowhere to park. I’ve lost a lot of business.
“I closed the shop on Monday night and it seemed okay, but obviously the repairs didn’t work. They never do – this happens four or five times a year.
“This is a family business. I’ve got three children, a mortgage and bills to pay just like everyone else. I can’t afford for this to keep happening. They’ve closed the road again and when people see the floods, they just turn around and leave. Even my suppliers are having to leave so I can’t get my stock.
“It’s also going to affect all the residents around.”
A Severn Trent spokeswoman said: “We’re really sorry for the inconvenience that’s been caused by a leaking water pipe on Majestic Way. We know the traffic restrictions have had an impact on a local shop and we’ve been in contact with the owner to make him aware of the potential compensation available for this.
“We’ve taken the decision today to replace a section of the pipe to help prevent leaks and bursts happening in the future. We’ll work as quickly as we can.”